Waking Dream
by Omegaxis1
Summary: Pre-Awakening. We all know how the story of Awakening took place; but what do we know about Robin's mother? For what purpose did his mother take him? How did she even get mixed up with the Grimleal? Find out in this story, where we look into the past of Fire Emblem's greatest tactician's mother.
1. The Beginning of Hatred

**Welcome all! This is my first time writing a Fire Emblem story. This is based on Fire Emblem: Awakening, which is actually what got me really into Fire Emblem in the first place. People might criticize it, but I think it was a great game, though it could have gone better.**

 **However, rather than perform a revision or AU of what happened in Awakening, this story will consist of what happened before the events of Awakening, regarding Robin's past.**

 **Robin's gender will be male here, though the female one I did juggle with for a bit, but decided to go with the male gender.**

 **Now then, I'm sure many of you contemplated Robin's origins, since there's so much shrouded in mystery, much like Solo from Megaman Starforce. And because it's a mystery, it's interesting to me, and thus… fanfic time!**

 **So without further ado, let's begin.**

* * *

Chapter 1: The Beginning of Hatred

"Yasmin, are you in there?" the sound of a woman called as she knocked on a door, before opening it to see a young woman with long silver hair, who was staring out of her window at the setting sun, the mixture of colors the setting sun created reaching across the horizon. The silver haired woman seemed to just stare out, almost as if she was entranced by the lights the setting sun displayed.

Hearing the door close, however, the woman was alerted of her visitor, and turned around. "Oh, it's you... " she said, giving the other woman a soft smile. "What are you here for?"

The woman smiled. "I came to give you your meal. I'm guessing that you're hungry after all," the woman said to the other one that was called Yasmin.

Yasmin laughed at that. "I have gotten rather hungry. Thank you, Sara," Yasmin thanked the woman named Sara, as Sara set the tray of food on the table, and Yasmin sat down and already started to eat.

"So how much longer before its time?" Sara asked Yasmin, who drank some water.

"Not much longer. Honestly, it could be now or tomorrow for all I know…" Yasmin said, caressing her swollen stomach, having reached the final stages of her pregnancy, ready to give birth any day now.

However, Yasmin didn't seem that happy, an unusual trait for expecting mothers, who would have a bright smile when they are near that stage. Sara knew of the reason, though. "Don't worry, Yasmin. It'll be over soon. Master Validar will allow you to be free once all this is over…"

"Sometimes… I wonder if that is true… I want to believe that I will be free when I... " Yasmin started, before closing her eyes, clenching her fist, unable to complete her sentence before. "I sometimes wonder if the words that come from his lips are the truth… will he truly let me go? Or will he keep me under his thumb? The months I have spent here made me think if I even made the right decision when I did..."

"Shh," Sara hushed the woman gently, kneeling down a little and holding Yasmin gently from behind. "It's okay… I know that it has been hard for you, being chosen, but once your child has been born, everything will be alright…"

"Sara, you don't understand…" Yasmin said, as tears started to stream down her eyes. "It isn't just my future that I worry for. I fear for my child's own future… even if this child doesn't become what Validar has been desiring, my child will instead be raised to follow in his footsteps, and to perform the same act as him… I… I don't want my child to go through such a future... but what can I do? Every time I look out the window, I wish there to be a bright future ahead, but instead I see nothing but a dark one. Everything… everything changed ever since I chose to join the Grimleal… and I regret having joined such a thing..."

It hurt Sara to see her friend in such pain, but like her friend said, there wasn't a bright future for them, especially for Yasmin.

"Even if I am given freedom… I don't think I can ever be with him again… I should have tried harder back then… I should have tried harder to listen to him and leave the Grimleal… but I was too weak…" Yasmin continued, which was followed by a deep silence, as Sara could say nothing that would merit even a small bit of comfort to her friend. All she could do was be with her until she finally relaxed and grew tired.

As the woman was laid to her bed and drifted to sleep, Sara exited the room, closing the door, but remained standing, looking at the ground.

"I pray that you do find a brighter future for yourself, Yasmin... I truly do..." Sara muttered, angry at herself for being unable to help her own friend in her time of need.

* * *

"Mama? Papa? Where are you?" a young girl cried out, running hurriedly as explosions and screams filled the air, the fire spreading within the village. The girl looked terrified and tried to avoid the fire, the air thinned due to the smoke being released. She tried very hard not to look at the corpses of the villagers that she had grown up with, who were like family to her, but were now lost from the mortal world.

Finally reaching the small house, she hurried in. "Mama! Papa!" she shouted as she entered, only to hear shouting inside one of the rooms.

Going to the kitchen, she saw her father struggling with a soldier for the spear that was in the soldier's hands. On the side was her mother, frightened and worried for her husband. The moment that she looked to see her daughter there, her eyes widened, and the father looked at the girl's direction as well.

"Run! Get away from here!" the father shouted to his wife, as he was being pushed back by the soldier, who was beginning to overpower him, pushing him against the walls, making the cabinets drop plates that shattered upon impact with the ground. "I'll hold him off. Just run now!"

"Papa!" the girl shouted, unable to heed the man's pleas, but her mother grabbed her wrist.

"We have to go, Now!" the mother declared, tears streaming down her face, and the girl knew that her mother didn't want to leave, but if she didn't run now, then the father's sacrifice would mean nothing. As they tried to run, more explosions happened outside, closer to their home that caused a fire to enter their home.

"Dammit! You won't get away, you heathens!" the soldier shouted, before pushing the other man off, making him fall on his back, hitting his head against the wall. Before he could even gather himself, the soldier thrusted the spear through his chest, making the man cough out blood, as the spear pierced through his stomach, and the light soon began to leave his eyes, his body losing strength when the soldier pulled spear out of him and turning to where the girl and woman ran off to, only to hurry back as their primary escape route had been sealed.

"PAPA!" the young girl screamed out the moment that she saw his father's body, limp against the floor.

The mother could not speak, and was just as horrified by what she was seeing. However, she already knew that they had to get away. Picking up her daughter in her arms, the woman made a break for it.

The soldier tried to follow, but the fire spread in front of him. "Dammit! You will not get away. In the name of Ylisse, you will be purged!" the soldier shouted out.

From the fire, Yasmin emerged and stepped into the scene, looking over everything, though she wasn't pregnant.

While the fire spread further, Yasmin was completely unharmed, as the fire seemed to go through her simply. She stared as the soldier escaped, only for his escape routes to be blocked out as he let out a scream with the house collapsing on him, killing him, before the flames soon consumed the two corpses.

After running out of the burning and collapsing house, filled with the memories of their life together, the mother stopped at a seemingly safe location, before setting her daughter down when she felt that they managed to get away from the soldier, though they were far from being in the clear, since the village was being razed to the ground.

"Mama…" the daughter sobbed as she looked at her mother. "Papa… he… he…"

"Shh, please do not speak. We have to run away. Your father gave his life to protect what's most important. So we cannot allow his sacrifice to be in vain…" the mother said as calmly as she could, but the daughter could hear the cracks in her voice, and the tears that she tried to fight back from spilling. She was hurt just as much, but she was fighting the grief that she had to try and escape for their safety. "Come, if we can make it outside the village, we can get away from them."

The girl, however, still thought about what she had seen moments ago, the father whom she loved murdered by that soldier, that Ylissian, and the look he gave her, as if he saw them as nothing but some disgusting creature that had to be killed.

Suddenly, the mother stopped and tugged her daughter behind some barrels and hid themselves as several soldiers began to chase after some of the villagers. Before the girl could say anything, the mother pressed her hand against the girl's mouth, preventing her from saying so much as a word.

"Purge them all. The heathens of Plegia who reject the will of the Divine Dragon, Naga, and instead serve the devil, must be wiped out," a man shouted, probably someone who was the commanding officer. "Let none survive. Show no mercy!"

The screams that now filled the air made the girl's eyes widen in horror, the sounds of flesh being cut open or punctured, the blood spilling into the ground, and the bodies falling with their lives removed.

"If only he wasn't around. If only he wasn't there, this never would have happened," the girl heard her mother mutter, and could see the anger and hatred burning inside her eyes.

As soon as they tried to sneak away, an explosion struck the barrel they were hiding behind making the eyes of some of the soldiers spot the girl and her mother.

Realizing the graveness of their situation, the mother looked at her daughter with horror, hurriedly grabbing her, her mind racing as she picked her up once more and broke into a sprint, outpacing several of the soldiers, who tried to attack with their spears by throwing them, but they missed. One of the soldiers rode his horse to catch up to them, and raised his sword to land a lethal blow. However, the girl threw something at him that she had grabbed onto before she was picked up earlier, that being a fragment of the barrel. Surprisingly enough, the fragment managed to hit the horse in the eye, making it cry out in pain as it went out of control, crashing against a house.

"Do not allow them to escape," a soldier cried out as soon several people dressed in garbs and hats, raised their hands.

"Mama!" the girl cried out, making the woman glance behind her, and saw that the soldiers brought out mages, and saw them ready their spells.

As the mages unleashed several balls of fire, the woman quickly ducked, avoiding the fire that would have likely killed her, and continued to run. However the spells continued to fire, forcing the woman to avoid it, and going behind a house, where she hurried inside another one, a destroyed one at that, to elude her attackers.

The mother glanced through the small openings to see the people that continued to slaughter their village. However, she then saw to her horror, one of the mages turn and look straight at all, and she tried to quickly hide, praying that they weren't seen. Alas, that was not the case, as a ball of lightning was fired at the house they were in, and destroyed the wall they were hiding from, making the woman scream out as she was blasted back.

"Mama! Mama!" the girl cried out as she shook her mother's body, who took hefty damage as blood soaked the clothes the woman wore, and the same blood that was now staining her hands.

The woman slowly got up, and saw the mages readying to bombard them with spells. "Listen to me, dear," the woman said to her daughter. "Whatever happens, you must survive. I will make sure of it," the woman said to her daughter, giving her a smile that made the girl question why her mother looked so sad as she said it. She then found herself being covered by her mother as the spells struck the house they were in, her mother using her own body as a shield to protect, and the walls collapsing on them, and the girl found herself passing out.

* * *

Slowly, the girl awoke with everything dark, and there was something heavy on top of her. Struggling, she tried to push whatever was on her, but couldn't, and tried to see if there was another way out, and soon found and opening, and crawled out, pushing some rubble out of the way, and emerging, only to see the charred remains of what was once her village.

"No… no…" the girl muttered, before clenching her head in pain, and looked back at the rubble she emerged from. Memories of her mother struck her mind and what happened last. "Mama!"

For almost an hour without rest, the girl pulled rocks, wood, and rubble out of the way, until finally she cleared enough to expose her mother. "Mama, wake up, we have to…" the girl stopped midway as she shook her mother, but the woman wouldn't move. Her body felt cold in fact. "Mama…?"

This couldn't be happening. The girl refused to believe that. "Mama! Mama! Wake up, mama! MAMAAAAAAAA!"

But no matter how much she shook her mother, the woman would never again open her eyes, and that was when the girl stopped, after realizing reality. Stormclouds began to bellow out as rain began to fall, the fire having caused the storm to arrive.

The girl looked up into the sky, before screaming at the top of her lungs in despair, the thunder roaring with her. Yasmin soon stepped next to her, looking at the corpse of the girl's mother with sad eyes.

"A survivor…" a voice spoke through the rain, alerting the girl and Yasmin of their presence, and both turned to see a man on a horse, as well as several others behind him. "So you managed to avoid the wrath of those Ylissians."

 _"Validar,"_ Yasmin said, staring at the dark skinned man as he stepped off his horse.

"Such a shame, for someone so young to suffer such cruelty," Validar said, as he approached the girl, but the girl seemed hostile. "Do no fear. I am not here to harm you. I have come with others to search for survivors like yourself."

The girl didn't stop looking at the man with hostility.

"Tell me, child, do you know why you have been harmed in such a way?" Validar questioned. Knowing the girl won't respond, he answered for her. "It is because of those accursed Ylissians!"

 _"Don't listen to him!"_ Yasmin cried out.

"They, who worship the Divine Dragon, Naga, treat us as heathens. Their accursed Exalt is now seeking a crusade against us. We have done nothing wrong, and yet they call us heathens and attack us as if we were nothing but beasts!" Validar said. "The god they worship, Naga, has abandoned you and your family, our entire country. Naga has taken the things we hold precious to us away, all because the Divine Dragon is not who we worship!"

"... Ylissians…" the young girl muttered, her eyes clouded by anger and hatred, recalling what they did so vividly. "... They… they killed them... they killed papa… they killed mama… Naga killed mama and papa…"

"Yes. Naga and the children of Naga seek to destroy us. But we shall not yield. We shall not abandon our freedom! Come, child. Join me, find yourself comforted by the god who shall one day lead us all towards salvation," Validar said, holding his hand, making the girl stare at it.

"Our… god…?" she asked.

"Yes, we who serve the divine being that shall truly purge this world of the rotten beings that infect the world, and rebuild it anew. You can help bring about a new beginning for this world. Come, join me. Join under the might of the Fell Dragon, Grima!" Validar said, his words striking the girl's heart, as she held out her hand, reaching for Validar's.

 _"Stop! Don't do it!"_ Yasmin cried to no avail, knowing that it was truly hopeless. The girl was already consumed by hatred for Naga and the Ylissians, who had stolen everything from her, everything that she cherished, leaving her as nothing but some pebble on the road.

Finally, the girl's hand held the man's hand. Validar grinned at her. "Tell me, child. What is your name?"

The girl looked at the man in the eyes, before opening her mouth. "... Yasmin…" the girl answered in a soft whisper, with Yasmin looking at the girl that was truly herself in the past.

 _"This…_ This _is where it all began…"_

* * *

 **And there, that's done. Now I'm sure you're wondering, what the hell was all this? Only named characters here are Validar and Grima, but who are Yasmin and Sara?**

 **Well, for the first few chapters, the story won't actually be about Robin. Shocker, I know. We will actually first explore the person who gives birth to Robin, Robin's mother, whom I named Yasmin.**

 **The reason I chose to first go over Yasmin's background is because I feel she's an interesting character that didn't get the spotlight she deserved, and was mentioned literally just one time, and this begged the question on who she was, why did she what she did, etc.**

 **For me, that was an interesting story that was worth writing about. Also, if you are wondering what Yasmin looks like, think of an older version of the Female Robin's default portrait.**

 **I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. More will come soon, hopefully.**


	2. Searching Beyond Hatred

**Alright, updated! Hope that everyone is still interested in the fic.**

 **Now then, some of you (I think) might be wondering about the time discrepancy if you pay attention to that particular detail, so you are not sure if you are following things right. So I will try to clear some things up.**

 **Using the calendar of Archanea, we shall go with how things went. The very beginning of Awakening when Chrom finds Robin will be year 2609. Emmeryn became Exalt after her father died and that was before she was 10. This was 15 years ago, so that would be year 2594. As for when the huge crusade began that Chrom's father led, it happened at year 2581, 13 years before he died.**

 **Last chapter were Yasmin's home is destroyed was year 2582, a year after the crusade began. She was only 10 years old at that time.**

 **Hopefully this will help you keep track of things a bit more. I'll even put some years from flashbacks so you can keep track.**

 **Without further ado, here's chapter 2.**

* * *

Chapter 2: Searching Beyond Hatred

 _Year 2584_

Echoes of booms reverberated through the depths of Plegian Castle as the heavy, stone doors swung open into great chamber. The flickering light of countless torches danced in the gloom, their fleeting illumination serving only the hold the endless night at bay. In the glow of the embers carving could be made out set into the stonework to either side of the chamber: revealing the ruins of a long forgotten language bellow great reliefs showing the two great dragons Grima and Naga locked in an endless battle. Further down these carbing gave way to one more ornate than the last: a depiction of the human that was regarded in legend as the First Exalt, who had slain the Fell Dragon. Yet of it most could not be seen: for over the carving had been laid a great tapestry of violet cloth set with Grima's mark. And before that tapestry stood a man, hidden in the shadows beyond the torches' light.

"Master Validar," a young girl called out as she entered, silvery white hair fluttering as she ran towards the leader of the Grimleal.

Back in those days, Validar had still been a young man, only a mere decade older than herself, and more than twice her own height. Black hair that was only slightly unkempt, small strands of hair loosely hanging out. His face was rather handsome to the girl, from the feature of his smooth tanned skin to the wine colored eyes, a small subtle beard growing, and his forehead having a birthmark that slightly resembled batwings, and the gold earrings he wore.

Validar sported a black robe that hugged his upper body, extending to even his hands, but was more gown-like. The upper part of the robe had an exposed area that moved as a V, thus showing Validar's chiseled chest and abs. Around his waist was a unique accessory that was structured similarly as a skeletal dragon, and even had a bone like tail behind it. Gold bands were wrapped around his cuffs, arms, and even his neck. He also wore a small cloak over his shoulders with a high collar with the back split apart.

As he turned to face her, the young girl gave the man a proper bow, a show of respect to her superior, as well as the man that had saved her.

"Yasmin, what are you here for?" the man asked.

"I wished to report that I have finished all of my studies," she responded, pride creeping through her voice. A feeling which only grew as the girl took in the astonished look on Validar's face.

"Already? My, my, what a talented girl you are. Many others could learn a thing or two from you," Validar stated. Whereas his tone typically oozed smug so thick it was almost palpable, when he spoke this time Yasmin was sure she could detect what could only be described as genuine respectfulness and pride at what she had accomplished.

Not that she deserved any less. After all, in a mere two years she had progressed in the ways of Grimleal beyond what many learned in a decade of service. Under Validar's tutelage she had proved herself a valuable member and more. Usefulness that would only grow as she continued to acquire more knowledge. Knowledge that would surely place her within the very upper echelons of the Grimleal most senior members.

But of course, she could not let him know that. Show too much ambition and perhaps he would go from seeing her as a useful ally to perceive her as a threat to his position. No, now was the time to reaffirm her position as serving him. "No, I still have much to learn of our ways, the ways of the one that would oppose Naga," she replied, making a show of turning her gaze downward and shaking her head slowly. Yet despite herself she could not help be seethe with anger at the very thought of Naga and the vile exalted lords who served her. Hatred which burned within her since that fateful day two years ago.

Validar chuckled softly, a flicker of glee in his eyes as he looked down from above. "Such a wonderful child you are. Indeed, knowledge is very powerful in this world, and you must acquire much so that we may finally prevail against the accursed worshippers of Naga. They, who had stolen so much from you- from us. They are the very epitome of hypocrisy, and have tainted this very world," Validar remarked.

"Master Validar, there has been something on my mind as of recently," Yasmin spoke, glancing towards the mural that depicted the Fell Dragon. "The Grimleal worships the Fell Dragon Grima, and that we are seeking for its restoration as written in the scriptures, but… how? How would we bring about our god to this world?"

The skeletal remains of Grima that was in Plegia, the colossal size of the beast, has left the girl could only wonder in her imaginations on how they could even revive such a titan. There was always mention that it was possible and that there was a way, but so little was expanded on.

Validar shook his head. "While I admire your curiosity to learn more of our god, it is not yet your time, child. You shall learn more once you have advanced further and acquire a greater position, for it is a secret that only those of high ranking may earn the privilege to receive. If you wish to seek out the knowledge, then I shall warn you that the trial shall be most difficult," Validar warned, his eyes showing a hint of concern.

However, the silver haired girl merely smirked. "Any challenge, I will face it without fail. As one of the Grimleal, I will make sure that you are pleased with my progress for the Fell Dragon," Yasmin declared, her tone soft and gentle, almost as if it was a prayer.

"What a truly wonderful child you have become," Validar praised, his hand placed on her head, showing a degree of affection for the girl, before removing his hand and turning around. "You may return now. I have to return to my own duties after all."

Yasmin gave the man a small bow, before she left the chambers.

The shiver of joy ran through Yasmin as she let Validar's praise echo through her thoughts, reveling in the knowledge that the man she so admired, the man whom she saw as her savior, was pleased by her advancement through the Grimleal's ranks.

And yet… she could not help but blanche at how he continued to call her a child. Despite all the her progress… he still spoke to her as if she was not a woman in his eyes. Perhaps she needed to work harder, else he would never acknowledge her.

Perhaps she should take her studies to the next level.

* * *

Stirring from her sleep by the warm light shining on her face, Yasmin awoke from her sleep. It was morning. Time to get up.

Slowly she dragged herself from bed, taking care not to trouble her soon-to-be-born child. She remembered the days when she would get up fast and get everything done as swiftly as possible. Her pregnancy certainly did not work well with her style, but she'd gradually grew accustomed to it. Furthermore, taking things slow didn't hurt much, as she noticed things that she had missed before.

Recalling her memory-filled dream, the woman couldn't help be amazed by how different she was in the past compared to now. Even the feelings she had held for Validar began to slowly shift. Before, he was her savior, her very reason for living. Someone that she would faithfully serve till she finally succumbed to death.

No, even now those feelings towards him persisted… but she had begun to slowly develop a sense of fear towards him. She had always worried of what might happen were he to see her as a challenge to his authority, and yet… this was different. This was a different, deeper feeling. Of doubt.

When had this dreadful emotion enter her heart? When did she begin to question her savior more and more? Was she becoming aware of how much she had changed? Or was she becoming more aware of her surroundings? So much has happened that Yasmin could no longer differentiate things so clearly as before.

"Or maybe I was never was able to…" she muttered to herself.

Casting aside her thoughts, Yasmin began to go through her slow and rather dull morning, not that she was alone. Carrying his child, Validar made sure that Yasmin was monitored twenty-four-seven and made sure that she was cared for by any means, making sure that if so much as a scratch landed on her, the one that was watching her would be executed on the spot in a gruesome manner, and any family of theirs would be lost as well. Of course, Yasmin was allowed some _minor_ privacy, if it could be called that, being that if she was accompanied by a friend, they would give her a bit more distance, but would still remain close enough to act in the event of an incident.

Completing her morning rituals, Yasmin wandered the Plegian castle for quite some time, though she always found herself going to outside, the blazing sun somehow comforting to her, despite how hot things got. Soon, she found herself in a familiar area, one of the few places where the grass and flowers grew. Plegia was mostly a desert country, but there were always a few small areas that was somehow able to grow like normal, though it wasn't as beautiful as Ylisse's, nor did it provide bountiful crops. However, Yasmin enjoyed being here, as she felt calmer here.

"Yasmin," Sara called, alerting the pregnant woman of her friend's arrival. "You shouldn't move too far away, you know."

The silver haired woman couldn't help but smile at that, amazed by her friend also being overly concerned, but Sara's reasons were more personal than simply duty bound. "I'm sorry," Yasmin apologized, before looking back at the tree. "I end up coming here a lot… I feel the most relaxed when I'm here…"

"Is that because of the scenery, or perhaps it's because this is where you met _him_?" Sara asked, the small smirk on her face an indication of knowing which it was.

Yasmin merely smiled and nodded, her memories drawing back to the day that she met the man that changed her.

* * *

 _Year 2585_

Standing on a patch of grass as she stared at the lone tree before her that stood tall with the sun sitting on top of it, Yasmin opened up a magic tome, reading the ancient text inscribed onto it. The spell was a bit more advanced than what she was used to. Which was why she had chosen it for today's practice. If she were to perfect her skill in magic, perhaps she would be treated more as an equal.

Ever since she decided to step up her game the previous year, Yasmin immersed herself in the ways of magic, learning spell after spell, trying to make her magic as powerful as it can be. Her skill in magic was very great, able to learn many spells, small to basic and then advancing further and even be capable of applying spells into combat purposes. Of course, to make sure she was praised even more, she even sought to learn ways of battling in close combat as well, though it was a tad more difficult due to her physique making her naturally weaker than others. However, she proved herself more competent, and was being regarded as a prodigy.

Despite that, Yasmin understood that she still hadn't fully mastered her capabilities. No, her power at her level was higher than average, and she defeated several other people in combat with it. However, she always noticed that for all her power, she seemed to be lacking something in her practice.

 _"O wind born amidst clouds of shifting sand, mow down those who would do evil!"_ she chanted out in the ancient language that most people could no longer even understand the meaning to. She began harnessing the energy from within her that reacted to the nature of the tome and her surroundings, the book glowing with the text of ancient letters shining a translucent green. With a mighty shout, Yasmin stretched her arm through the air, stopping only upon the direction of her target before uttering the spell's name.

"Elwind!" she cried out with her arms outstretched towards the tree, firing a wind that was moving through the in the shape of a blade.

Shearing forth, a crescent shaped blast of wind slammed into trunk of the tree. The tree shook, shattered bark flying from the point of impact. Yet within instants her fleeting pride faded to disappointment, seeing at once that what had at first seemed spectacular had in fact been only minor damage. Worse still, she'd been so sure her spell would cut it cleanly in two, not dissipate after knocking off some bark.

But maybe that was the problem. Maybe for all the power she had, she still lacked the discipline necessary to better focus her spells into the precise manner that she desired it to. The large impact on the trunk showed that clearly enough. If she could make the wind sharper instead, shape the movements thinner, she could make the wind be able to cut virtually anything.

However, her train of thought on her disappointment was interrupted by the unexpected cry of a stranger to be heard from the top of the tree, as a figure suddenly fell from the tree she fired her spell on, crashing onto the ground. Yasmin gasped at that, before hurrying to them, though she wasn't able to see who it was, due to the person wearing a cloak with the hood on, hiding the stranger's identity.

"Owww…" the person groaned, as they scrambled to stand, a hand's rubbing the spot where they had landed. While by no means deadly, a fall from that high was still sure to hurt more than a bit.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't realize you were on that tree," Yasmin blurted quickly, looking at the person apologetically, she hoped they weren't too hurt. Although one part of her wondered why or how the person was even there on the tree, but she set aside her questions for the time being. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm alright… but that was certainly a harsh wake-up call," they mumbled in response Sitting upright at last, the person lowered their hood, revealing the face a teenage boy no more than a few years her senior. He had amber brown eyes, a similar color to her own, and light brown hair that went at face length and was arranged in a basic manner, being slightly spiked as well. However, a small streak of his hair was a much lighter shade, almost to the point that it could be blond. As he stood up, he towered over Yasmin by over a foot.

"I'm sorry about that, again. So why were you up on the tree?" she asked curiously.

"To take a nap," he said simply with a smile, shrugging his shoulders.

"You realize this is a desert, right?" What kind of idiot took a nap on top of a tree in this kind of place? The heat would make such an act difficult, if not impossible.

"I've felt worse. Plus I had my cloak on, so it protected me somewhat."

"Uh huh…" This guy was seriously out there. Yasmin felt a growing suspicion towards the boy and his odd behavior. How and why was he out here anyways? This was near the Plegian Castle. No normal person should have been able to get near here without the guards noticing.

"So what's your name?" he asked. Evidently, he had remained oblivious to the growing look of suspicion she held him in. Or perhaps he had, but merely didn't care.

Yasmin was so focused on figuring out how he'd gotten past the guards that she missed his question entirely and ended up muttering, "Weirdo…" instead of the reply the boy had been expecting.

"Well, nice to meet you, Weirdo. My name is Ren," he introduced, snapping the girl out of her thoughts and staring at him.

Yasmin started at this, eyes widening in confusion."What?" she asked, baffled. Did he just call her a weirdo?

"I said, nice to meet you, Weirdo. My name is-"

"I'm not a weirdo!" she exclaimed, crossing her arms indignantly as she continued to glare.

"Yes, you are," he replied, now giving her a teasing grin that only irritated her further.

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not!"

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am!" She blinked, several seconds passing before her brain caught up enough with her lips to realize what she just said, as the male began to laugh, holding his stomach from how funny he found the situation, as Yasmin's face turned beet red in embarrassment. Gritting her teeth in anger and embarrassment, having never felt this humiliated before, she opened her tome and swung her hand, shouting, "ELWIND!"

"Wait, what?" Ren said, his expression going blank for the split second before he saw the crescent shaped gust of wind form. His eyes went wide as he dove to the ground, the spell slicing through the space he'd occupied but instants before.

A loud sound somewhere between a snap and a splintering crack filled the air. Ren twisted around from where he lay, his gaze falling on the same spot as Yasmin's own just in time to watch tree that the boy had been napping on tilt to one side and crash to the ground. It's trunk had been snapped cleanly in half.

"Are you crazy?! You could have killed me!" Ren exclaimed, scrambling around where he lay to face Yasmin.

"Believe me, I was thinking of doing just that," Yasmin responded, venom dripping from her voice, matching the glare she was giving him.

Ren got up and huffed, "Can't you take a joke? And besides, it's your own fault. When I asked for your name, you said 'weirdo'. So yeah."

Realizing that she must have muttered that because of her thoughts for him, so she had missed his question. Not wishing to apologize out of pride, she cleared her throat and looked away. "Well, it wasn't that. I was calling _you_ a weirdo. As for my name, it's Yasmin."

Ren nodded, and examined the girl. "Yasmin, what a beautiful name. Fits a cute girl like you," he responded, earning a blush from the girl that made him chuckle.

"A-are you hitting on me?"

"Maybe," he teased, laughing a little. "But it _is_ really nice to meet you, Yasmin. For the third time now, my name is-"

"I know your name. It's Ren. You told me," she replied. She sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Well, glad that you can hear me now. So what're you doing casting spells? I didn't know that people as young as you could learn it," he questioned, speaking as if people would only learn how to try and use magic once they reached an age of maturity, unless they were gifted enough to learn earlier than that.

Yasmin narrowed her eyes, anger brewing at the mere suggestion regarding her abilities. If there was one thing that she could never stand or tolerate, it was being looked down on as a child. "Don't talk to me like I'm a child. I'll have you know that I'm thirteen."

"Great. I'm sixteen, so that makes me older than you," he said, and patted her head. Yasmin winced at his touch, swatting his hand away. However, if Ren took any offense to the motion, he showed no sign. In fact, he continued on as if he hadn't even noticed. "But wow, thirteen and already using some spells with that much power? Color me surprised."

First he was looking down on her, now he was praising her? She couldn't stand that at all. Validar did the same thing, always praising Yasmin for her progress, but never stopped calling her a child.

"Anyways, what are you doing here? You don't look like you're from here," she questioned, voicing some of her suspicion as she pushed his hand away from her head.

"Of course not. I'm not really from anywhere," Ren replied. Yasmin arched an eyebrow in confusion, a motion which Ren must have noticed, for he smiled knowingly before continuing, "See, I'm pretty much a traveler. I just travel the world, going from town to town, country to country, and continent to continent. I was born in the road and will probably live my life always on the road."

Well that just made this guy someone even more suspicious to Yasmin. "I see. No background and you happen to be in Plegia when we're in the middle of a war?"

"Oh yeah, that's going on right now, isn't it…?" Ren replied.

The tone of Ren's words was so apathetic that Yasmin couldn't help but be taken aback by it. ' _Does the war not even matter to him?'_ she wondered.

However, before the thought could go any further, Ren continued speaking, snapping the girl back to the present. "But even so, I don't just travel. Gotta make a living after all, so I specialize in trade as well," Ren said, finishing his explanation.

As he said that, he began looking around, trying to spot something before smiling and saying "Aha!" Going over to some pile of sand, he stuck his hand inside one spot that had a small stick in it, and pulled out a large sack with some difficulty, and Yasmin was amazed by how large the sack was.

Seeing her reaction, Ren decided to open the sack and had an actual bag for carrying a limited amount of merchandises, including weapons, tomes, and other items. Some seemed to appear rather rare. "While traveling around and trading, you tend to find and pick up on _quite_ a few things," he bragged, chest puffing into the air.

Yasmin took no heed, at this point thoroughly fed up with speaking to the boy. Bending down, she dug through his assortment of tomes, picking out one she'd recognized being mentioned in some of her manuels. Emblazoned on its cover was a symbol of spear mage of lighting. The rune for the spell _Thoron_.

It was then that she noticed Ren was staring over her shoulder, his eyes fixed on the tome. She turned her head to look at him, a moment passing as neither moved. Then without warning he seized hold of it, snatching it from her grasp before she could react.

"Hey!" she cried out.

"Sorry Yasmin, customers only, and I doubt that you can pay for this, or even use it," he said, clearly showing no intent of being nice when it came to his products. Yasmin almost wondered if he had a bad experience in the past or something.

Still, Yasmin was clearly not pleased by the rather rude treatment. Least he could do was be more polite. Especially when he was _wrong_. "What makes you think I can't? I'll have you know that I'm a prodigy when it comes to magic. Just a few weeks and I can master it," she declared, confidence leaking into her voice.

"And? What good would that do when you use the spell? This spell is powerful and is used to kill and murder. Even if you could pay, I won't sell it to a little girl that will only get themselves killed by it," Ren said, his eyes and tone growing more serious, which caught Yasmin off guard.

Ren began placing some of his items back into his bag. "Listen kid, I said I travel the world. Meaning that along the way, I don't just pick up on rare items. I meet a lot of people and see what happens outside these walls. And believe me when I say that a child learning magic of such a high level will do more harm than good. I can tell just by looking at you that you lack the maturity and control to use this spell, even if you master it. So sorry, but no sale."

The brunet soon finished packing the items in before strapping his bag on. However, Yasmin was angered by his remarks that was downright insulting.

"W-wait a minute! You can't just say that I'm not mature when you don't even-"

"Question." The sudden interruption caught her off guard, as she watched him stand up with his back turned towards her.

"Huh?"

"Do you hate Ylisse?"

The question was completely out of nowhere, but simply hearing the term 'Ylisse', the girl her blood beginning to boil, her fist clenching till they were white, and her teeth gritted down, the memories surfacing from her mind, as if time had never marched on for her.

"Do you see the Ylissians as monsters? The Exalt? The nation?" Ren asked further, his tone being completely blank, betraying no emotions.

"Of course…" a soft mutter was heard.

"What?"

"Of course I hate them!" Yasmin declared, her eyes glistening with tears that reflected nothing but hatred. "They're monsters! The Exalt had his army burned my village down and murdered my parents! Ylisse is evil and are filled with monsters that would savagely slaughter us and call us heathens when we did nothing wrong!"

It had been three years, and still she could remember every exact detail from that day, and her body always felt the pain, as if the scars were not scars, but still fresh wounds. If anything, her hatred for the country that took her family, and the god they worshipped, only grew over time.

Ren remained standing there, silent as Yasmin broke into sobs. She didn't know what was going through his mind, nor did she care. He probably thought of himself as some self-righteous fool that believed that she was wrong.

"You aren't wrong."

Finally hearing his voice, the words that came out was _nothing_ that Yasmin was expecting, that she stopped sobbing out of surprise and stared at him. He turned around, their amber eyes meeting, and she could see the pity behind his eyes, but also… understanding.

"Hating them is not wrong. They _did_ commit heinous acts. The Exalt _did_ start a war he shouldn't have," he continued, which only confused Yasmin more. Why was he defending her hatred?

"However, you are blind in your hatred. And _that_ is why you aren't mature."

She was more confused than ever. How could she be right to hate, but be immature? He was contradicting himself. Amber eyes were focused towards him as he stepped in front of her, making her look up due to their height difference. "You need to see deeper. Far deeper than you are letting yourself be able to. If I allowed you to buy this tome, you would misuse it because it would make you delve too much into your own hatred, and it would consume you until you can think of nothing but murder and revenge. I could sell this to other warmongers and tyrants, because it can't be helped for them. But I can never bring myself to give a tool of murder to the hands of a child that _still_ has the capacity to change."

"Wha...?" The girl just stood there, stunned as she couldn't think of anything to say against that, watching as the man turned around and walked away, leaving her alone to her thoughts.

That night, Yasmin continued to ponder Ren's words in her room, unable to concentrate in her studies. She just couldn't understand. Ren could sell it to other people who would clearly use it to murder, but he won't sell it to her? The word that she kept coming back to was the last word he said to her: **change**.

Was she supposed to change? How? She couldn't go back to the naive, innocent young girl that thought the world was pure. No, the world was ugly and vile, and the Exalt of Ylisse was nothing but a monster.

Then she considered her immaturity. Was he right? Was she still too immature? No matter how much she thought on it, Yasmin just couldn't figure it out.

For the first time in a long while, she felt lost.

* * *

Yasmin managed to find Ren at the city gates, departing the city the next morning. It was early, so early that the sun had not yet risen. She imagined that he'd been planning to slip away quietly before the day truly began.

Ren stopped at the gate, staring as if lost as thought. At the time Yasmin hadn't known what he'd been thinking about. In fact, she'd failed to really take notice of it. He had told her, years later, that he had been wondering what exactly had happened with Yasmin, but decided not to dwell on it. After all, he had assumed that in all likelihood they wouldn't meet again.

"Hold it!" a voice called out, making Ren turn around to see Yasmin standing there with her hands pressed to her knees, panting as if she had been running quite the distance.

"Yasmin?"

"I… I don't know what you mean by changing or maturing. I cannot understand any of that... "

Ren sighed and shook his head. "You don't have to worry, just-"

"I'm not done!" she interrupted, and stood up straight and raised her head to stare right into the taller man's eyes. "I won't stand for what you said to me. My pride won't let me. So the next time we meet, I'll have become much stronger and know even more things. Once you can acknowledge that I can change and mature, then you give me that tome.'

"Wait, what? You're making a bet and want me to give you this if you win? I'm not getting anything out of it," he said, flabbergasted by how one-sided this deal was.

She seemed to realize this and stuttered out some incomprehensible words and mumbles, her bold declaration already tripping over itself, but soon Ren burst out laughing.

"Wh-what's so funny?!" Yasmin asked, thinking that he was making fun of her.

Reaching out, Ren placed his hand on her head and knelt down so they were at eye level. "Alright, I accept the bet. Next time I come back here, you show me how much you've matured, and I'll consider giving you the tome free of charge. Let's meet up at the place you knocked me down at."

Yasmin nodded at that, before watching Ren leave the city, a smile plastered on her face, the first true smile she had in years.

* * *

That was one of her fonder memories ever since her life changed for the worse the day she lost her family and home. "It really took me a long time to figure out exactly what he wanted me to change and understand…" the present Yasmin whispered to herself, as she turned around and followed her friend to bathe.

She remembered how it was half a year later that she would meet him again, and he clearly remembered her. However, though she had matured a little bit, she still hadn't understood enough, but Ren kindly extended their bet.

Yasmin could now understood that he really wanted to lose to her, and she understood what he wanted.

He simply wanted her to change back into a person that could smile and be happy, and let go of the hatred inside her, and even understand the pain that Ylisse is going through. That took Yasmin a long time to realize.

However… there was one thing that Yasmin could never accomplish, no matter what…

"Come on, Yasmin, let me help you with those," Sara said, helping Yasmin remove her robes, stripping her bare. All the while Yasmin stared at the mirror there, reflecting what was on her back.

Her eyes fixed on one detail most of all. The spot where, imprinted onto her flesh, the mark of Grima could be seen.

"I could never return to how I was…"

* * *

 **And how was that? Can anyone guess how things are progressing? You can probably guess what is probably going on now.**

 **If not, keep going.**

 **The story is quite going for Yasmin's story and might be going on for a few more chapters. To pace things right, Robin's mother needs to get the spotlight she needs because she's very involved with how things go in Awakening. Which is weird considering that she's mentioned literally ONE time in the entire story of Awakening.**

 **Also, to anyone wondering why Validar's appearance was changed, I have three reasons:**

 **1) Year 2585-2609 is well over 2 decades. He's gotta have a younger appearance, and some of his changes can be blamed on dark magic, cause it's basically like cocaine as Ghast said.**

 **2) I forgot to do so last chapter.**

 **3) I… really didn't enjoy the idea that any lady would find the current Validar's appearance attractive that it feels unlikely they'd want to go home base there, even for a cult. Seriously, it'd be like Lucrecia and Hojo all over again. Bleh! So might as well give Validar SOMETHING decent in his past so it's more bearable in my mind.**

 **Ren is actually one of my personal OCs. I mostly based his appearance off of Syaoran from Tsubasa Chronicles, the whole traveling motif and all. I use him in my RPs, but make him more adventurous, teasing, and even a bit of a flirt, which normal Syaoran would never be.**

 **As always, please tell me what you thought of this chapter and I hope that you can leave a review. Your support is what keeps this story going.**


	3. Scars of the Defiled

**Oh boy, was this chapter tough. Sorry everyone. I wanted to post this earlier, but some troubles came in.**

 **Though I don't really know what you thought about my last chapter, since no one left a review. Have to admit, it's a new feeling that not one of you guys left me with any thoughts on how the chapter was.**

 **But I am sure that you guys liked the chapter and will keep going. So hopefully I manage to leave a good enough impression on you guys.**

 **Also saying this: The story was meant to be short about Yasmin and then move to Robin. However, after a bit, I changed my mind. Yasmin should get her own story and then another story will be made that will talk about Robin himself. This will be unique since you're basically learning about a character that basically amounts to an OC.**

 **Well, hope you guys enjoy the read.**

* * *

Chapter 3: Scars of the Defiled

Sitting down on the bath, bare and exposed, Yasmin leaned back into the water cascading down her body, reveling in the soothing warmth that worked it's way through her skin to suffuse her aching muscles. Several women crowded her, including her friend Sara, who were all using sponges to wipe her body clean. It was rather annoying to Yasmin how she couldn't even bathe by herself, but she just had to be cared for in the strictest sense, and that included being cleaned by others. Only a few years before she could have scarcely imagined being the subject of such treatment. Almost like she she was...

 _Royalty._

Yes, there was no other way to put it. From having servants as far as the eye could see ready to attend to her every need, meals that would feed an entire village, and hardly having a single care in the world. Many young girls dreamed to have this kind of life, yet she had already grown bored of such leisure.

Yasmin cringed the instant she felt the sponge on her back scrubbed against her mark, the pain traveling through her as if she had been stung.

"You always feel pain here no matter what, even though you've long since healed," Sara commented, gently drawing the sponge down Yasmin's back, much to her relief. Yasmin could feel how careful her friend was being, the pressure of the sponge against her back being almost feather-light around the mark of Grima.

Yasmin made a hollow laugh. "My body just can't forget the pain… then again, I asked for it... "

"Yes, the Mark of Grima, symbol of the Grimleal… only those of the highest order can ever earn the right to have this mark to be imprinted on them. Few ever do, and even fewer survive," Sara muttered, with Yasmin glancing to see her friend's face clouded with sadness.

"I still remember how I received this mark… the memory is always as clear and fresh in my mind…" Yasmin said, recalling one of her greatest mistakes.

* * *

 _Year 2587_

"Rise, Yasmin," Validar called, gesturing with his hand to get her from her respectful kneel. "You have progressed greatly. To think that one your age has been able to climb the ranks of the Grimleal so quickly. Talent like yours come only once every few generations."

"Thank you, Master Validar," Yasmin said in way of reply, rising up. In the five years she had been in the Grimleal, she has studied studied and learned much. She might have succeeded even earlier had caution not stayed her hand. The constant fear that if she were to advance too quickly Validar would come to see her as a threat, ruining any hope of him to acknowledging her as an equal. Though perhaps that would be the least of her concerns were it ever to come to that. For it was all too common knowledge among the Grimleal about what happened to those who attempted to rival Validar's position.

However, over the course of her studies, she had also began to change her outlook towards her once sworn enemies. Previously, she believed that Plegia was always suffering because of what Ylisse had done, launching a crusade to exterminate them. In fact, had she never met Ren, perhaps she would have gone forever believing that was the only truth. But she knew now… it wasn't _just_ Plegia that was suffering, for even the Ylisseans that were suffering.

Two years prior, she learned that some of the soldiers killed in the frontlines weren't even soldiers at all, but were in fact farmers. Some of the Plegians spoke that this was a blessing as that meant that Ylisse was running low on soldiers, but to Yasmin, this was horrific. For mere farmers, unable to wield anything more than a pitchfork, to be sent to the frontlines of a brutal campaign, was suicide, no, not even. Such a thing was nothing short of a massacre.

It was through this realization that Yasmin truly came to understand the tragedy befalling not only Plegia, but Ylisse as well. Now, she held sympathy for not just the suffering of her own countrymen but the very people she once considered her enemy. This was something that she made sure was never known to the others, especially Validar. She feared that if she made even a single remark of sympathy towards them, he might actually consider that treason and might execute her.

Of course, it wasn't as if she was no longer against Ylisse, for her hatred had not been extinguished. No, it was instead directed towards the Exalt of Ylisse. How could a man be so cruel as to try to slaughter the people of Plegia, to the point of ruining the lives of his own? The Exalts were supposed to be the descendants of the Hero-King Marth from the legends. But the Hero-King was known for his valor and kindness, who ruled as a just king. And yet this descendant was a tyrant, a warmonger, and most of all, a true monster.

Worst of all, the people could not even stop such a man. So many lives will be brought to ruin, so much blood will be spilt, all because of the actions of one man. If this was how the world worked, then Yasmin knew that Grima must rise once more and purge the world of its sins to begin anew.

"You have earned the right to now go through a most sacred ritual. However, I must warn you, the trial shall be treacherous. It will instill so much pain onto your body that you may very well die from it," Validar warned, both his tone and the expression on his face telling her that he truly worried about her fate. Seeing that, Yasmin wanted to leap into a somersault, touched that he showed concern over her.

Indeed, she had learned of what the ritual was, and it was indeed terrifying: To have the mark of the Grimleal burned onto the majority of her back. Such a trial would be dangerous, and many had perished both during the ritual or simply slipped into death during recovery. So very few had ever survived, and that wasn't even the end of it. Afterwards some of the Grimleal's ancient secrets are also carved onto the back around the mark of the Grimleal. For one to go through this trial tested one's true dedication to the Grimleal's cause.

"Knowing this, do you still wish to proceed?" Validar asked. He arched an eyebrow, his expression on the surface being one of surprise. Yet on the closer examination a small glimmer of a smug, knowing smile adorned his lips.

Yet Yasmin paid it little heed, wasting little any time thinking as she had already prepared herself for this. "Yes, I will endure any pain, no matter how terrible. All for the sake of our god, Grima."

"Very well… we shall perform the trial in the next night, when the moon has reached its zenith," he declared, his smile spreading with every perfumed word uttered from his splayed lips. "You may return to your chamber and make preparations."

Nodding, the girl turned to leave.

"Also... " Validar said right as she neared the exit, making the girl stop. "I pray that you can live through the process. It would be a great tragedy to lose someone as talented as you…"

Yasmin stood there for a moment, a small smile forming from her lips. "Thank you… I promise I won't die," she assured, a warm feeling of joy filling her heart from his words.

The next night, as the moon reached its highest point for that night, the light shining gently in full, Yasmin entered the ritual grounds, being within the Dragon's Table. The place was an altar where everyone worshipped the Fell Dragon. There were many marks for the Grimleal, torches with lit fires on the pillars, and several hooded people that were chanting together in harmony. At the other side of the altar, Validar stood in front of a monument for their god. He turned around and approached her.

"Welcome Yasmin. Tonight is a momentous night for the Grimleal. You have been chosen to ascend into our highest ranking, to ascend into a position that only those with true dedication can ever hope to achieve. Step forward," he commanded. Yasmin nodded, her eyes filled with hard resolve as she clenched her fist tightly and stepped forward. She could hear her own heart beating against her chest.

As she stood between two pillars that had chains on them, Yasmin turned around and held her arms apart, as two Grimleal members first removed her robe, leaving the upper half of her body bare and her hair moved to the sides of her head going down her shoulders from the front, leaving her back exposed, as she knelt down on her knees.

After that, she felt her wrists being shackled before the chains were pulled to move her arms apart. Noticing someone's approach, she saw a small piece of wood being presented in front of her face. Realizing the purpose of the wood, she slowly opened her mouth and bit onto the item.

"We shall now begin!" Validar's voice spread through the chamber, as he grabbed a branding iron that was within the strongest fire at the end of the chamber, the metal bright red from the immense heat.

Yasmin squeezed her eyes shut, the beat of her heart quickening until it became a rapid drumbeat in her ears. Sweat ran cold down her suddenly burning shin, her whole body tensing in anticipation for the pain that was to come. She could hear every footstep, their each and every beat seeming to hang in the air as Validar approached her from behind. The entire room seemed to no longer exist to her, until only she and him existed within the void. Validar's presence loomed over her, prepared to imprint a mark that will never fade. Many would tremble with fear of the pain that was soon to come, but Yasmin's heart was filled with utter conviction as she steeled herself the trial..

"Yasmin, with this mark, you shall now prove your loyalty towards Grima!" Validar declared, raising the rod, before pressing the metal onto her back.

Pain.

The word defined her every thought, her very fiber of her, her very soul. Searing agony overwhelmed her until it obliterated all other sensation. It was like nothing she'd ever experienced. She bit down hard, so that she could feel the wood crack and screamed. Her body reacted without thinking, desperately trying to escape the burning touch of the iron, struggling against the shackles binding her in place. Her eyes snapped open unseeing, vision blocked by a sea of unyielding pain. Instead, memories of her past flashed through her mind with blinding speed, before slowly they were drowned into the darkness. Her mind unable to contain the burning pain remaining behind her as her flesh began to be scorched, her body began to weaken.

Even after the metal was removed from her back, leaving behind the symbol of the Grimleal, the pain did not cease, while blood leaked from her tortured flesh.

Eyes slowly losing their light, Yasmin felt herself sinking into the abyss. She faintly felt herself slumping forward as her arms were freed from her confines as Validar approached her.

* * *

Everything was so dark…

She felt cold and yet hot at the same time. Yet she remained unable to move.

 _"Yasmin… have you perished…?"_

A voice? Whose? It sounded almost like Master Validar's… but why? What happened?

" _A shame…"_

Validar's voice grew weaker to her, as she could feel the darkness beginning to slowly blanket her gently, as if tucking her into bed. Yasmin felt so tired… and she felt so much at peace now… she wanted to sleep…

There was nothing left for her… no friends… no family… no loved ones left. She lost everything already… she just wanted to sleep. It was enough…

"Hmm… really?"

Another voice? Why was someone bothering her? Why couldn't they just let her sleep?

"Do you honestly want to sleep now? There's so much left to do. So many more things left to live for, don't you think?"

What was left for her? Nothing. Yasmin lost everything already. Even her memories were beginning to dissipate into nothing.

"There's always something. If not today, then there's tomorrow, and if not then, then the next day. Isn't that the whole point of living?"

Living was too painful. And anything she could get would be lost. It's better to end things there. It was enough.

"Do you truly believe that?"

Yes.

"Is there nothing left for you? Do you have no one? Is there not a single thing left that you can believe in?"

What? Yasmin could not understand this voice. What was it trying to say?

"Just look. It's right there…"

Where? Yasmin couldn't understand, before suddenly spotting a faint glimmer of light, a speck so small it was easily missed, but it was right there… in front of her… Yasmin could feel a gentle warmth emanating from the speck.

This warmth… it was familiar… Yasmin felt so much at peace… the fatigue from before slowly beginning to fade.

"Do you see? It's there… it never left you. Even in the most painful moments, even in the darkest of times, if you never let that small light leave you, you can always find it: the will to live."

In that moment, the speck of light expanded into a brightness rivaling the sun, as Yasmin felt herself standing up.

"You did it!"

Yasmin smiled and nodded. However, she wondered who was talking to her now. Her eyes soon gazed a small figure that was slowly appearing.

"I have always been with you. You just couldn't see me for a long time now… please don't ever forget that feeling."

In but an instant, Yasmin was staring at… herself. Or rather, her younger self before her family was taken from her. The girl merely smiled before fading away, but Yasmin realized the meaning, and smiled as well, before she herself began to fade.

* * *

Vision returning to her eyes, but only as a blur, her breathing suddenly returned as if she had been holding her breath for a long while, though it came out haggard. Her chest felt heavy, as if a great weight sat atop it, crushing her lungs. The air she sucked in felt icy sharp, stabs of pain shooting through her core with each rasping breath.

"She still lives! Quickly! We must take her for treatment!" A voice shouted in astonishment, though Yasmin couldn't recognize it, as her vision began to fade again as she felt herself being lifted up. Despite her attempting to remain awake, Yasmin soon lost consciousness.

Eventually, Yasmin finally began to regain her consciousness completely, as she had been regaining and losing her consciousness repeatedly in a cycle. Though a blur, she was finally beginning to recognize her surroundings more, along with her other senses.

"Whe...re…?" Yasmin questioned as she moved, only to hiss as a sharp pain took over on her back. She also realized she was laying face down on the bed. Why was she in such a position? Perhaps it had something to do with the pain.

"In the medical facilities," a girl's voice spoke out, surprising Yasmin. She really was not expecting to hear someone respond to her question. Struggling to minimize the pain, the silver haired girl focused her eyes towards the source of the voice. Slowly but surely, Yasmin could make out the figure, being a girl about her age, possibly a few years older even. She had straight, smooth black hair reaching past her waist tied in a ponytail, with hazel colored eyes. Yasmin spotted the blue tunic with an over-top that barely covered her waist and her long, high boots with no leggings. The woman also carried a sword strapped around her waist, which slowly made Yasmin realize that this woman was likely a myrmidon.

"W… what... hap… pened...?" Yasmin questioned in a hoarse voice, her throat feeling dry. Struggling to recall what had occurred. Yasmin attempted to push herself up, only to instantly regret as she cried out in pain, tears welling up in her eyes. .

The girl came right to her. "Don't move. You're still not nearly recovered yet from the ritual," she warned.

The memories came flooding back at last, which began to slowly answer the questions Yasmin had for herself. "Right… the ritual where I was branded… guess this pain is normal…" she muttered. Validar was right, she really underestimated how horrifying this was, and was now aware just how close she was to dying.

"How long was I unconscious?"

The girl looked down, and breathed deeply in a sigh. "Several days now. You kept drifting in and out of consciousness. Your heart even stopped beating several times. It was really questionable if you'd even survive, with some of the clerics and priests wanting to give up on you. However, Master Validar ordered that you were to be saved at all costs, and would kill us if we did not treat you with the highest treatment."

A joyous feeling filled her heart as Yasmin smiled, almost to the point of tears to hear that Validar would be so desperate to save her life.

"So… who are you?" Yasmin asked, not recognizing the girl.

"Me? My name's Sara. It's a pleasure to meet you. I work in the palace, so we don't meet under normal circumstances, but I've been assigned to be one of your bodyguards. High ranking Grimleal are always to be guarded, after all," she explained after her introduction.

"I see… nice to meet you as well, Sara…" Yasmin replied with a small smile, just before her stomach growled, much to her embarrassment.

* * *

"Yeah, getting that mark might have been horrifying, but you shouldn't make it sound like getting this brand was a complete bad thing. I doubt we'd have ever met had you never gotten that mark," Sara said to Yasmin, finishing her bath before Sara placed the new robes on her friend before they exited.

Yasmin laughed a little at that. "I guess so. I have to admit, I never expected to meet a friend like you. Or actually befriend you for that matter, given how weird you get sometimes."

Sara responded to the remark by pulling the girl's cheek in a pinch. "Oh, and define weird to me. Perhaps we should settle this in a fight. Shall I once again introduce you to the dirt like last time?" she asked with a grin as Yasmin whined a little, as Yasmin remembered the times they sparred, and like she said, a lot of times it was Yasmin being face down in the dirt.

"Hey now, no mistreating the pregnant lady," the silver haired girl complained.

The myrmidon giggled as she released her friend's cheek. "Don't forget, all that prodigal powers of yours is useless in the face of hard work. The score still stands with me fourteen and you at five."

Sara always did say that she had no talent, so she always put her all in hard work and dedication. Though Yasmin did beat her a few times, quite a few of them were more luck on her part.

"Yeah yeah, I know. And with this period of not being able to practice, the gap is just gonna be impossible to close," Yasmin stated, no longer confident in her chances of beating her friend ever again, since Sara could still keep up with their sword practice, while Yasmin had to keep delicate care of herself due to her condition.

The myrmidon laughed while shaking her head. "That's where you being a prodigy comes in. I'm sure you'll close the gap soon enough. After all, if I lost you as a sparring partner, I'll never improve myself," she assured.

Yasmin gave an amused look. "Is that why, or do you just want to give me an excuse so that I get into more spars where you can knock me down?" Yasmin accused, making her friend chuckle nervously.

"What? No way? Would I actually do that? Psh, not at all," Sara waved off, much to Yasmin's amusement.

"Well, I guess it can't hurt to practice my magic some more after this is done. Then I can show you how strong I am the next time we meet."

"Oh boy, I better be careful. You're called a prodigy for a reason after all. I wonder if you're secretly descended from a powerful person in ancient times? There're plenty of legendary figures to choose from, some not even from this continent."

"Oh yeah, there are many legendary figures from ancient times, aren't there?"

"Yeah, many. Some are even just myths, but some can be traced back very far. Wouldn't that be amazing, eh?"

"Not really."

"What? Why not?"

"They're heroes of legends because they saved the world. We're not exactly in the culture that particularly wants the world to be saved in the way we're thinking…"

The mood somehow turned darker the instant Yasmin mentioned that, and Yasmin felt her heart tug as she glanced down, regretting her words. But it wasn't as if she could deny the truth. The Grimleal wanted to remake the world through Grima, a god of destruction. They could never be considered to be part of the figures of legends that others stood in.

Now that she had brought it up, Yasmin's thoughts drifted to the enormity of ignorance that her friend suffers, along with many other Plegians and Grimleal alike. There were many secrets that Yasmin had now received knowledge of, but was sworn to secrecy of such things. The information she possessed was the most delicate, able to affect a person's psyche to a terrifying degree if they were not the least bit prepared for it. Yasmin had been debating for a while now whether she should speak of such information to Sara.

If she said it, she risked many things, one of which being a severing of ties, though this was by far the least of her concerns.

"You… you really know how to kill the mood, you know…" Sara muttered, and Yasmin could just hear the disappointment in her voice, before they neared Yasmin's room.

The moment she was in front of her door, time froze for the world, as Yasmin was trapped in a moment where she had to make a choice. She could choose to abandon these thoughts, let everything go normal, and everything was fine. Or she could choose to tell this secret within her heart, let her understand a dark truth that could tear her apart, and ruin almost everything between them, but in exchange… perhaps something could happen… something Yasmin dearly hoped could happen.

' _... I… I can't… but… what should I do?'_ Yasmin thought to herself, her hand taking hold of the doorknob.

"Yasmin? What's wrong?" Sara's voice cut through her thoughts, and Yasmin gazed at her closest friend's eyes, and saw the concern within those hazel eyes, eyes that held sincerity and kindness. But like Yasmin herself, there were shadows of sadness and grief.

Placing her free hand to her chest, Yasmin breathed deeply, making her choice.

Opening the door, Yasmin immediately reached to grab Sara's wrist, dragging her into the room before shutting the door close and locking it. "Sara… I want to talk to you about something important…" Yasmin whispered, her voice as silent as the wind, but even then, Sara could hear.

Going to another part of the room, Yasmin began closing every door, as if making sure there was no possibility of someone overhearing them. She then opened a drawer, rummaging through several tomes, before pulling out the bottom most one. Opening it and placing her hand on the page, Yasmin began to whisper words in the ancient language. As a glow appeared in the cover and pages, a small violet light emanated around her that spread across the room, infusing into the walls.

"We can talk a bit easier without others hearing us…" Yasmin spoke, no longer whispering.

"What?" Sara questioned, clearly puzzled by what had transpired.

"The spell I used creates a small barrier that extends to this room, absorbing any and all forms of sound. It'll prevent anyone, no matter how skilled, to listen in on us. Though the barrier won't last long," Yasmin explained, but knew just to emphasize her point, she suddenly let out a high pitched scream.

While her scream made her friend jump, the expression on Sara's face turned from panic to confusion, as she glanced around the room. Given Yasmin's situation, such a scream would have brought Yasmin's guards and many others into her room faster than one would blink, and yet, no one approached. It was almost as if Yasmin's screams were never heard.

"What the hell?! Since when did we have this kind of spell? Pretty sure if this existed, we wouldn't need soundproof rooms."

"Not an easy spell to learn, and the tome is one of a kind. Ren was actually the one that taught it to me," Yasmin explained.

Sara looked at her with a baffled look. "He knows magic? I thought he was just a merchant?"

Yasmin was not surprised by the question, as even she was surprised by some of the things Ren had done and could do. "Yeah, there's a lot he hasn't told me, but that's not what I wanted to talk to you about."

At that, Sara began to calm down, taking a seat. "Right… so what is it you wanted to talk about?" Now Yasmin could see the look of suspicion Sara had towards her, which was to be expected. It had to be important if she was going through all this trouble, after all.

Yasmin took a deep breath before looking at her friend. "Sara… do you know what Grima is?"

The question seemed to catch Sara off guard, as the myrmidon blinked several times, attempting to register the question itself before she could process the meaning behind it. "Where did that come from?" It was clear that the question had left her skeptical.

"Sara… as a member of the highest rank in the Grimleal, I am entitled to certain knowledge. Knowledge that lower ranks like yourself and others cannot even understand. What I say now could shake you to your core. But I… I feel that I have to- no, I _want_ you to know. I only… I only hope that what I tell you does not make you think less of me or cause you to abandon our friendship…"

She was no longer looking at Sara's face, but even if she tried to, she wouldn't get a good look, as tears began well up.

Yasmin was scared.

Terrified.

Thoughts loomed over the consequences of her actions, to the point that Yasmin could feel herself almost regretting ever bringing Sara over into her room and going through this entire process.

"Yasmin… you don't have to force yourself to…" The words made it clear that Sara was seeing how hard Yasmin was forcing herself, but regardless, Yasmin could not stop herself. She made her choice, she could not turn back now.

"No… I will tell you. What you do after is your choice," Yasmin declared, casting aside the veil of fear clouding her judgment.

* * *

 _Year 2587_

"I see you are studying as hard as always, Yasmin," Validar spoke, alerting Yasmin of his presence as she pulled away from the grimoire she was reading.

It had been almost two months since she had endured the ritual, and though she survived the ordeal, recovery had been painfully slow. Perhaps some was due to her own impatience, born from unwillingness to spend the time needed to recuperate. The longer she stayed on the bed, the more energy she felt herself accumulate, and if she didn't do something to exhaust her mental state on, she felt as if she would be driven to insanity. Furthermore, now that she achieved the high rankings, she wanted to make use of her position to read the restricted information that she was authorized for. No, her studies were more important. It was so that she threw herself into them despite the pleas of her still battered body, going as far as to sneak into the restricted archives to read as many books as she could get her hands on.

The semi-recovered girl smiled at him before she nodded. "Of course. It was getting too boring just laying on the bed doing nothing. So I figured I might as well do something that would be interesting," her voice was full of eagerness and excitement.

Validar chuckled, but the way he looked at her, Yasmin couldn't help but wonder if she had just noticed a small look of pride that was directed to her.

"So what have you learned so far?" he asked.

"A lot, and then not that much. While there are a lot of books that gives more detailed history of the past, some of these things are actually encoded, with others being written in the ancient language. I've yet to finish a single one of them because of that," Yasmin complained, miffed about her dilemma. She nearly died to be able to read these books, and here there was another obstacle to overcome.

This clearly seemed to humor Validar, as he began laughing. "Of course that's the case. You do not think that one would not have tried to sneak glances at these books, did you? Or attempted theft? To keep our secrets secure, it was best to encode the books, and some written in the same language of old now forgotten," he explained calmly. "This also allows you to express further dedication by deciphering them. It shall be a task, I am sure, but the experience is worth the effort, I believe."

"Right… well, I _did_ decipher quite a bit of the text in this grimoire, and it talks many things about Grima, some things that didn't get mentioned before," Yasmin admitted, almost trembling with excitement about the new things that she had learned. "Before we were always taught that Grima is a god that existed since the creation of the world, but then this tells me that Grima didn't exist in the past. Instead, Grima only came into existence a thousand years ago."

"Aha, so you have deciphered some knowledge. Most impressive," he praised. "Tell me, what else did you discover?"

"Well… Grima isn't a simple deity like others, but is in fact a natural calamity, and in fact embodies the darkness within the hearts of man. He is the accumulation of all the evil humans possess: hatred, anger, greed, envy, despair, everything that can lead us to devastation," Yasmin explained, but then her face scrunched up in a contemplative manner. "But this just makes me wonder… why did Grima appear a thousand years ago? Why not even before that?"

The young man listened intently, before he let out a smirk. "Yasmin, how long has the world existed with man? Every sin man commits, Grima is born from. However, in the past, many have resisted such sins, and thus were saved from their judgment," he began explaining, though this only confused Yasmin further. Validar likely noticed, as he continued. "Humans are not born evil. We are born sinless, pure and true. However, after we are born, we live, we grow, and evolve. It is only then that we can be led astray. Temptations arise, opportunities present themselves, and chaos ensues. However, while many lose their way, many do not and instead perform great deeds, becoming praiseworthy. However, the number of those that are able to resist the dark temptations of man are too few. Evil remains within man, persisting through generations through means of prejudice, manipulation, murder, theft, and many others. The sins become too numerous to be forgiven, and far too great for any of the few that resist these sins. As time continues, the sins grow, and eventually, it is too much. Thus, almost a millennia in the past, mankind's sins formed Grima, who came to punish us."

Yasmin swallowed, trying to wrap her mind around the concept. For how many years had the evils of man continued to persist for it to get to the point for Grima to form?

This question suddenly made Yasmin realize something that was now becoming inconsistent. If Grima is formed from the evil of man, and is meant to punish the world, then…

"Master Validar… if he's from our own evil, then that no longer fits with the old things we learned, where he punishes those that reject him, doesn't it?" Yasmin realized.

The moment she spoke that question, Validar's eyes glinted with a glow that sent shivers through Yasmin's spine. "To have figured this out so quickly. You are truly remarkable, Yasmin," Validar expressed, his chuckles becoming slightly darker. "Tell me… do you truly believe that Grima shall grant salvation to those that believe in him?"

The answer was already there the moment it was asked, and Yasmin's eyes widened in shock. "You mean… it doesn't matter?"

"Grima isn't simply a calamity, Yasmin. Grima is the _end_. His very existence serves as a symbol. The ultimate proof that everything and everyone in this world is beyond salvation. That this world, and all its inhabitants, should not exist."

A lump seemed to form in Yasmin's throat, as she swallowed. "The… the e-end?"

"Yes," Validar nodded. "Grima exists because the world has become far too corrupt, too evil. Humanity has poisoned the world to the point that it is beyond salvation. So when Grima arrives, he comes to seek to end the world to start over."

"W-wait a second… but… but that means that we serve a god that seeks us all to be destroyed! It doesn't matter if we worship him or not… he will kill us regardless. We all have to die for Grima, then…" Yasmin realized, feeling so many of her previous teachings suddenly becoming null and void.

Was this… was this _really_ what she wanted?

Validar frowned at her, possibly sensing the innate fear forming within Yasmin. "Yasmin, steel your heart. Do not lose your faith so easily. Think clearly to yourself. A thousand years ago, Grima arrived, but he was defeated and sealed. Now, take a grand look at the horrors the world has presented us throughout the years. Having failed to put an end to the world to start anew, the current Exalt of Ylisse seeks to slaughter us all. Why, just a few years ago he sired a daughter, and no doubt she will be raised for the sole purpose of slaughtering us as well. Do you truly believe that people like them deserve to live? And even worse, no one even opposes the atrocities the Exalt is committing. No, they instead support him or just say nothing."

A small fire seemed to reignite from within the fear, transforming into the small hatred she held, the flames beginning to stir. She recalled how Ylisse was suffering, and attempted to push back her hatred, before taking note of the last thing Validar just mentioned.

Despite the atrocities of the Exalt, there was no one that was actually opposing the Exalt. There he was, sending men to their deaths, and yet the people didn't stop him? Why? Why couldn't they speak and oppose the Exalt? To tell him to stop the madness, along with this senseless and violent war? To do nothing is the same as committing the crime itself.

"Had Grima risen and began his judgment upon humanity, the world would have ended, and all of the sufferings would have ended! And then, from the ashes of the ruined realm, a new world would grow, and in turn new life would rise. Perhaps then we could have lived in a better time, a better life, a world without lies, where we do not have to suffer the cruelties of our own foolishness. We would have been reborn and not have to endure as many hardships and could have even built upon a true utopia! But instead, Naga foolishly believes that Grima has no purpose in the world and believes humans are free to commit these acts of terror as they please. No! That is the _epitome_ of hypocrisy!"

The girl felt the man's calloused hand on her face, stroking it, as the words began to slowly sink into her mind. Though she knew that she should reject such a notion, there was so many things he said that was right.

What _did_ this world accomplish throughout the years?

Peace? What peace exactly?

It had never lasted. It was war throughout history. There have been more times of war and suffering than peace and happiness.

"I have seen this world and the terror it held," Validar spoke, his voice softening that seemed to reflect his sadness. "My father had raised me to understand this truth, even on why I was born. My destiny has always been to lead the Grimleal, for the sole purpose of bringing life back to the Fell Dragon. I have seen the evils of humanity, and have since embraced that this is the fate of mankind. Perhaps to others, my actions are deemed to be evil. However, the true evil lies within the hypocrites who believe in a peace built upon the foundation of corpses and blood."

Memories of the incident from four years ago surfaced once more in her mind: the day her village was destroyed, and her parents were murdered. Her family were good people, and the villagers had done nothing wrong. There was no justification in their deaths. The only thing was that they were Plegians, and thus were considered members of the Grimleal by default. Was that justice? How would their deaths promote peace?

Words could define the hatred and despair she felt that day. It was the day that she felt the gods had abandoned her.

"That is why the Grimleal exists. To restore Grima and start anew. We have suffered and watched the world rot for long enough. This world must end, for the good of all. Do you understand now, Yasmin?" Validar finished, and waited for her to respond.

Closing her eyes, Yasmin breathed deeply, slowly embracing the hatred within her once more.

"Yes, Master Validar…"

* * *

As Yasmin finished explaining the story, she watched as the expression on Sara's face the entire time. She watched how the girl's face was calm, then surprised, before slowly growing fearful more and more. "So… so Grima seeks to bring life to end… just to start over…?" Sara said, swallowing deeply, clearly terrified by the notion.

"Yes… so what do you think?" As she asked this, Yasmin began steeling herself for her friend's response.

Sara looked unsure on what to say, as if she was trying her very best to wrap her mind over what she had just learned, and tried to think how they felt, but it was something that she couldn't truly understand. "I… I don't know. I mean… yes, the world is cruel beyond words… everyone here has endured such heartache that we have wanted the world to burn for it, but… to actually have that happen… it's just so much to take…"

Yasmin said nothing and continued to stare at her friend. "Wait," Sara suddenly said, looking at Yasmin. "How would we even bring Grima back? Even if we worship him, Grima cannot do anything you just said if he cannot come back…"

Oh, how the silver haired woman wished that Sara had not asked that, but now that she did, there was no turning back. "Sara… why do you think Validar is caring so much to have me cared for in such a manner?"

Sara looked at her like she was crazy. "Why? Because you're pregnant. What does that…?" Sara seemed finally figure it out when she said that, her eyes widened with terror as she looked at Yasmin, and then gazed at the swollen belly, but no longer was she seeing what was a growing infant child, but something else entirely. "You can't mean… that…"

"Did you know that Validar is the leader of the Grimleal because of his bloodline? A bloodline… that is tied to the Fell Dragon."

The myrmidon looked visibly ill, as if ready to throw up, before standing up and backing away. "I… I… this isn't real… is it?" Sara asked, her eyes losing light, as if she was on the verge of breaking apart.

The pregnant woman stared sadly, her fears now beginning to appear before her eyes, as Sara turned around, rushing to the door.

So this was what would be the case? Yasmin expected as much, but it still hurt to see it happen, as Yasmin lowered her head, her heart feeling more and more crushed as regret filled every corner her. Tears began to slowly drip onto her lap.

"Yasmin…"

Suddenly hearing Sara's voice, made Yasmin raise her head as swift as lightning, and her tear glistened eyes reflected the myrmidon not yet opening the door, but instead just clutching the doorknob.

"To be honest… yes, there's a lot of things I want gone from this world, and maybe the world is better of starting over from scratch… but…"

Yasmin stiffened when she heard the 'but', ready to fall off of the edge of her seat.

However, Sara shook her head. "No, it doesn't matter… goodbye Yasmin. I'll see you later…" With that, he woman hurried away from the room.

Yasmin began to cry now, but no longer were they tears of despair, grieving over the loss of a friend. No, they were now of joy, as simply hearing those last words filled held so much effect that Yasmin was no joyful that her choice was not wrong. "I… I only hope that these bonds I have remain…"

* * *

 **Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.**

 **What did you think about how I showed some of the practice of the Grimleal? Or what the Grimleal's faith is in? If you think Validar is lying, not really. Remember that the Grimleal was considered to be founded 1000 years when Grima first attacked Archanea/Ylisse. No one in the current era here would actually KNOW the truth about Grima's existence or what he is.**

 **I mean, people call Naga a god, and in Genealogy, the dragons were believed to be gods. But none of them are gods. They are just really powerful dragons. So religions founded by the people here don't know the entire truth and just explain how they interpret it and such.**

 **Let me know what you guys think about the chapter in the review. Nothing makes me happier than knowing what you guys thought of my chapter since it helps me improve myself even more.**


	4. Ambush on Equality

**FINALLY POSTED!**

 **Sheesh, I took a damn long time, and I apologize to everyone that has been waiting for this chapter to be up. Things came up, I got lazy, college is hard, and it just kept spiraling out of control.**

 **Though in other news, I got some great new ideas that I think will help improve the story still for more to come. It's amazing how much ideas you can make just from thinking of a story. It's like a never ending expanded universe... maybe that's how comic creators think. No matter how small something it, it just evolves into something bigger.**

 **Anyways, I apologize for keeping you waiting, so here you go.**

* * *

Chapter 4: Ambush on Equality

 _Year 2590_

"Come on, Ren! Please! You just gotta trade me that extremely rare tome of yours! Help a poor gal out," a cheerful voice pleaded, and Ren couldn't help himself from chuckling to himself, seeing the adorable, yet pleading, look on the redhead's request.

"Hmm… I _could_ give you a special tome that would be extremely valuable for you," Ren began, and grinned when the redhead looked excitedly at him, eyes full of expectations of immense wealth. " _If!_ "

And there it was, the moment that Ren uttered the word 'if', much to his amusement, he saw the girl's eyes looked very worried now. Even so, Ren continued. "You let me take one of those amazing Snapshot tomes that you and your multitude of sisters own."

"What?! No way!" the redhead nearly screeched as she slammed her hands upon the table, abruptly standing up. "You know how valuable those are?! My sisters and I have those for the sake of making lots of profit from the pictures. I can't just give away a trade secret of that magnitude."

"And I want it. The ability to create perfect still images of flawless quality that surpasses painters creating sceneries? You know how much profit that could make? I've been trying to get my hands on that tome for years now, Anna," Ren replied, meeting the sharp glare that was being sent to him. He was almost sure that she was trying to set him on fire through that stare alone.

Anna shook her head. "No way. Anything but the Snapshot tome. My sisters and I created it for our own usage. You know how hard that was?"

"I shall repeat myself. I want it. If I did, I could mass produce it and sell it to others. I could even consider sharing some of the profits with you. What do you say?"

"Mass produce it? You know how hard those are to make? Are you trying to drive me bankrupt?"

"Yes, well I can easily provide the funds, and I'm quite experienced with crafting tomes, even more than you and your sisters. So I can easily make them, and far more efficiently."

"Are you trying to pick a fight?"

"You're just jealous because I have a bigger nest egg than you."

"Do not."

"Do too."

"Do not!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Hah!" Ren puffed his chest in victory as Anna clapped her hand to her mouth, realization striking as she just agreed with him. Anna grit her teeth and glared at him fiercely, which Ren returned right back. Staring at one another for a good minute, before a sudden laughter filled the air from the two of them, sitting back down once the laughter slowly subsided.

Anna placed a finger on her chin no longer looking at him, likely trying to think. "I'll try to talk with my sisters, and we can try to negotiate a possible trade," Anna proposed, and Ren nodded in response to that. "But, you better be prepared, mister. We're gonna drive the hardest bargain you can imagine."

He couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Of course you will. With how you and your sisters are, I don't doubt it," Ren said, before tossing a few gold coins on the table. "Food's on me. I'll see you later, Anna. Give my regards to Anna, Anna, Anna, and uh… what was that last one's name again? Oh right, Anna," Ren said. Waving his merchant friend goodbye, he exited the tavern. Outside he paused for a moment, strapping on the large bag that contained all his merchandise. waving his merchant friend goodbye before exiting the tavern while strapping his large bag that contained all his merchandise on.

The moment he had stepped out, he breathed deeply, taking in the nice chilly air that filled the night in sharp contrast to the scorching blaze the desert had during the daytime. The majestic shine of the full moon as it released a gentle light onto the world, like the sun had remained, just dimmed so that humans could gaze upon it.

As he began to walk, Ren's thoughts drifted towards Yasmin, a smile creeping on his lips just at the mere thought of the little girl he knew several years ago having now grown a mature young woman. Time practically flew on by.

Thoughts struck a sudden halt as Ren turned around, ears twitching from having caught the small shuffling noise behind him.

The pleasant smile soon dropped to a frown as the explorer examined the area, in an attempt to discern any possible suspicious activities. "Is someone there?" Ren asked with a raised voice, though he found no sign of anyone nearby. Ren remained standing for several long minutes, before finally shrugging and turning around. "Alright then, guess it was only my imagination…"

Stepping out of the small town, Ren looked over the horizon for a moment, before taking a look at his map. "If I can keep going for about another two hours, I should reach the next town. Argh, but two hours of walking in the desert night…" Ren said to himself, his voice sounding discontent with his schedule, before a smile that exuded confidence formed.

"Sounds fun."

And with that, Ren started walking into the desert, humming to himself. He always felt traveling to be much less stressful when humming tunes to himself.

Continuing the way for almost ten minutes, Ren stopped humming and instead sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the sound of air being pierced through from the arrow that nearly struck his leg, and turned around. "Hello gentlemen," Ren greeted. Several meters away he could spot the group of brigands that had been tailing him as he had suspected.

He had only two options: to either outrun them and hope they give up, or try to lose them in the vast desert. However, before even enacting his plan, Ren caught sight of more bandits, coming from a different direction, a grim realization coursing through Ren, as he looked in several other directions, now noticing there were more. Some of the bandits must have split off from the main group to spread out farther, and now Ren had them all converging in on him.

With that, Ren found himself completely surrounded.

"Wow, cutting my way to escape as well… was not expecting that," Ren muttered under his breath.

A gruff voice began to laugh. "Gwa ha ha! So yous noticed us, did ya?" The apparent leader of the brigands stepped forward. "How'd ya know?"

"What are you talking about? I figured I was all alone out here. No one answered my question and everything," Ren replied, rolling his eyes. He scanned his surroundings carefully. Was there any way he could escape? He had hoped that there would be one way, but these guys were clearly skilled. The average brigand actually would reveal themselves. "So I'm guessing you would like to steal my wares?"

"Ding, guess we got a smart one, eh?" the leader said with a laugh as some of the other bandits laughed alongside him. "We've word yous got a special book on ye, and we'd like to see if it can fetch a good bag o' coin."

"Well, my first instinct would be to think that Anna set you up to get me, but nope. Anna would never stoop _this_ low," Ren voiced. The Annas were conniving, devious, and even con artist at times, but they'd never stoop to murder and plundering.

Either way, Ren was surrounded, and they all had their weapons drawn out. He would need to try and talk his way out of this. "Anyways, I'm sure that you would love to just put me at the business end of a sword and take my stuff, but how about instead of that, you and I could try and negotiate, and I can help you guys make a profit and sell you some of my items. What do you say?" Ren suggested, trying his best to hope they would listen.

That hope was dashed the instant Ren's body reacted at the small sound of the release of a bowstring, his body leaning back as another arrow whizzed through the space where his head had been a moment earlier.

"I'll take that as a 'no' then…" the explorer muttered.

The bandit leader of the pack let out a gruff laugh. "I find it be better to just take our loot without any questions," he merely said, just as Ren witnessed the archers around him began to let loose a volley of arrows, all aimed to main him.

Ren swept his hand in a downward arc. A wall of air fell on the arrows, causing them to dip and sink into the sand at Ren's feet. Billowing clouds of sand spilled outwards, caught in the magical gale. Ren smirked as a chorus of grunts and coughs came from within the sand screen that now covered them. Taking one last moment to admire his handiwork, Ren turned and broke into a sprint.

"Kill him! I want his head!" the leader screamed.

He would click his tongue in annoyance had he not worried about the sand that could get in his mouth, so he just focused on trying to get through the bandits as soon as possible, as the sand would clear soon enough.

'If I can get past them, put some distance between us, I can use more wind magic to scatter more sa-'

The thought was cut short as a blade entered his field of vision, cutting towards his head at eye level. He registered it just in time, barely managing to move his head back to narrowly avoid the blade, several strands of hair were cut instead.

Swerving around the man, Ren pressed a hand on his upper back, a small blast of wind, throwing the bandit onto the sand. Ren glanced behind him in time to see more brigands starting to catch up to him.

With speed and balance that betrayed the cumbersome weight on his merchandise, Ren bolted around the attackers as they attempted to slash and hack the merchant, evading their weapons by a hair's breadth. Taking advantage of the remaining sand in the air that dulled their vision, Ren closed in on the attackers. Without time for even shock to play out across their faces, the brigands were blown away several meters by the small bursts of wind released from his palms.

Despite that, all of his spells lacked any real power behind them to truly inflict harm. Ren could even see some of the bandits he had knocked back beginning to recover.

' _Definitely more skilled than I'd have guessed. They seem less brigands and more like soldiers,'_ Ren thought to himself, knocking the sword out of the hand of another charging bandit with an expertly aimed spell.

This was beginning to get increasingly difficult for the explorer, unable to hold off the entire hoard of bandits that were continuously piling on him at every chance. He could only push them back so much.

"Stubborn fool! Just die already!" came a shout from somewhere behind Ren. The brunet turned to see a man with a lance charging forward to impale him with all his might.

A small smirk formed on the traveler's lips. He swept his arm wide, the resulting blast of wind halting the man's reckless charge. Now only an off balance lancer and a few more bandits behind cut off his escape. This was his chance! Ren tensed, preparing to leap over the bandits and make one last dash for freedom.

"This is i-"

"Gotcha!"

Just as Ren was about to make his move, his eyes moved towards the leader of the group reaching him, his axe raised in an attempt to cut Ren down.

In that very instant, Ren's instincts and conscious mind screamed conflicting commands. One urged him to move, to avoid the attack, while the other warned of the bandit still behind, who would take the blow meant for him instead. A sudden weight seemed to drop on Ren's body, his muscles seeming to freeze on the spot. ' _No! If I dodge, then he'll di-'_

He couldn't continue his trail of thought as Ren let out a scream of pain at that exact moment, choked out by the blood rising from his throat as the metallic blade of the lance ran through his back. An instant after, the dulled edge of the axe tore through the flesh of his chest, and cracked through the bones of his ribcage before it finally ceased.

"Ye were a flighty little fellow, but it be over now," the leader declared with a sickening grin plastering over his face, a look of sheer sadistic joy in his eyes at the sight of Ren's pain.

Retracting his axe, Ren let out another choked cough as he collapsed on his knees. His blood splattering into the sand, painting it red underneath the moonlight. Looking up weakly up, Re watched as the man raised his axe to the air, preparing to slam it down to end Ren's life.

"Any last words?"

"... This is gonna hurt…" Ren merely said in a hoarse voice, clenching his fist.

"Not the worst one I've 'eard, I'll give ye that," the man cackled out.

Ren could only watch as the axe fell.

* * *

Waking with a start, Yasmin gasped for air, a strong chill surrounding her from the cold sweat that covered her. "Not again…" Yasmin muttered, pressing her palm against her forehead.

It had been happening often as of late, and every time it happened it was very hard to go back to sleep afterwards, no matter how hard she tried to. She was not sure if this was normal for pregnant women, but it was happening to her nonetheless.

Sighing, Yasmin slowly got out of her bed, wincing at a sudden cramp from her swollen belly, before she began to walk to her door.

Upon opening it, the two guards turned around, looking surprised. "Lady Yasmin, why are you up right now? You should be resting," one guard said.

"I'm sorry. I'm just having some trouble sleeping. I figured that perhaps a stroll would help me," Yasmin explained, though the two still looked at her with worry in their eyes, they soon relented with a nod.

"Very well, but we'll be going with you," the other guard declared, to which Yasmin agreed to as such, given her condition.

 _Kill…_

Eyes widening upon her first step out of her room, a freezing wave ran through her spine as Yasmin turned around, scanning everything behind her. "Did you hear something just now…?" Yasmin asked the two guards. She immediately realized the pointlessness of her question just by looking at their faces, and shook her head. "Never mind…"

' _What was that voice just now…? It was so… cold…'_ Yasmin thought to herself. It was such a faint whisper, but just the mere sound of it sent chills down her spine.

Pushing the feeling of dread that was welling up inside her to the back of her mind, Yasmin attempted to just focus on her walk. Looking up at the sky, she smiled softly at the beautiful stars dazzling in the blackened sky, working alongside the moon to bring light into the darkness that cloaked the land.

Her thoughts wandered to Ren, recalling the times that they spent stargazing. "It won't be long n-"

A sharp pain ran through her body as Yasmin's words were cut off while stumbling, placing a hand on her stomach.

The voices of the guards were drowned out by a loud ringing, as Yasmin began to see the world spinning as she tried hard to keep herself balanced, only to trip and be caught by the guards. They tried to say something, but she could not understand a word they were saying. But as she looked at them, Yasmin felt her stomach turn as she felt herself ready to lose her food.

"What's…?" Yasmin tried to speak, but her words began to slur, as more pain shot through her. The ringing began to fade, only to be replaced by the screams of so many people, eyes widening that they almost left her skull, as reality began to crumble apart from her sight.

Images of a terrible fire spreading through the land, burning all in sight, the smoke rising into the blackened storm clouds that drowned out the light of the heavens.

' _What is this? Where am I?'_ Yasmin frantically thought.

The sight of the fire and the screams that filled the air was all too familiar to Yasmin, memories of her village coming to mind, but try as she might, her body was paralyzed. She could only watch helplessly as the voices began to die one by one.

But the fear only heightened to its zenith at the moment a laughter began to now resound in the burning air. Just hearing it made Yasmin feel every ounce of hope and life being drained out of her, and she could see a figure beginning to rise from the fire, growing into gargantuan proportions as she stared at the six red eyes all staring right at her.

Her consciousness began to fade, as only a thought loomed in her mind.

"Help me…"

* * *

 _Year 2588_

"Yasmin… Yasmin… wake up!"

"Huh? What?" Yasmin shouted in alarm as she looked around, ready to attack whoever was there, only to see Ren holding his arms up in defense.

"Whoa whoa, calm down," Ren said in a panicked voice.

Realizing who she was about to attack, Yasmin breathed a sigh of relief, lowering her arm that was ready to strike out. "Sorry about that…"

"Whew… I thought you were going to kill me for a second," Ren responded, placing a hand over his chest while breathing a sigh of relief. "I mean, as much as I would love to see your adorable sleeping face as you drool, I didn't want you to catch a cold."

She could feel her cheeks heat up instantly at the realization and turned around, wiping out mouth, feeling the saliva that had escaped her mouth while she was sleeping. "Ugh, Ren! Did you really have to say that?" she asked, and she could hear Ren laugh. She had half a mind to fire an Elwind at him like she did the first time they met, but decided against it.

"I couldn't help it," Ren chuckled out, slowly getting up, his cloak fluttering in the night wind. "You must have been really tired if you fell asleep so quickly from one of my stories."

Face heating up even further, Yasmin looked down, shaking her head. "It wasn't on purpose. I was just really tired from all the work I had to do just so I could have some free time for us to spend, that's all," she tried to wave off, but glanced at Ren's face, and saw the gleeful look on his face, with a small hint of surprise.

"That's all? I think not. This means you worked really hard just to spend time with me. That's so sweet. I always knew that you cared," Ren said, his eyes sparkling and actually having tears welling up, and Yasmin was now confident that her face was on fire and red as a the fire tome.

"It's nothing like that!" Yasmin tried to insist, but her face was probably giving away her thoughts. Didn't help that Ren could always read her like a book.

Ren only responded by laughing a bit harder than before. "I knew you were cute when you were younger, but you've gotten even cuter over the years. Of course, alongside that cuteness, you've developed into a real beauty as well," Ren praised, and now Yasmin was sure that she had fire on her face.

"Wh-what?! Sh-shut up! That's rich coming from you. You look like you haven't aged a bit since we first met," Yasmin retorted, sticking her tongue out. A small, distant part of herself felt rather foolish, giving such a childish gesture. Yet so wrapped in that moment, the rest of her couldn't care less how she came across.

It still surprised her now that Ren still looked the exact same as he did when she had first encountered him three years ago. She was the same age as he was back then, but he was nineteen now, so by all means he should look somewhat different. Yet it was only Yasmin that seemed to have grown up physically.

Ren was silent in response, but still had a small smirk on his face. "I don't mind, because now we look the same age," Ren said simply.

Yasmin grumbled at that, shaking her head in a vain attempt to eliminate the embarrassment that was still painting her cheeks red. "I wish you would stop treating me like I'm still a child…" She tried to whisper that, knowing that he would retort that only a child would say that.

"You know, if you're still tired, I can consider extending my stay for another day," Ren suggested, and Yasmin's world spun to meet his eyes, elation welling up in her, only to suddenly cease at a realization.

"I can't… you'd lose some business if you stayed here too long. I'm sure there are others that would serve from your time better than I would…"

"That's very thoughtful of you, Yasmin. And you aren't wrong there," Ren confessed, but his smile still lingered. "I might be a tad behind on sales, but it would be only a minor issue, and I can fix it easily. So I could-"

"It's okay, Ren. I really don't want to hold you up on that. We can just spend time together next time, right?" Yasmin suggested, interrupting Ren's words.

His smile faltered for a bit before he sighed, nodding his head. "Alright. I'll try to schedule it so that I can come here next month and stay even longer. Is that alright?" Yasmin had no words of disapproval there.

Feeling another yawn come in, Yasmin tried to hold it back, trying to play it off as a simple deep breath. She was getting tired now. "So before we call it a night, I want you to actually tell me one more story," she said, getting an idea. She'd heard multiple tales of Ren's adventures as a merchant, but there was always something that lingered in her thoughts about him. Now that she had his attention, perhaps he could indulge her. "Can you tell me something about you when you were younger?"

The question clearly caught Ren off guard, reflected by the look on his face. Yasmin continued to assert her words. "You tell me about circumstances that happened to you over the years as a merchant, but you never told me anything about yourself. I just…" Yasmin felt the words clog her throat, her heart beating ever so fast in alarm to warn her to swallow the words, but Yasmin persisted. "I want to know more about you… that's all…"

She looked down, fearful of looking him in the eye, but mustered up whatever courage she had left to glance at him.

The young Grimleal didn't expect to see the deep look that replaced the normal smiling face he usually had. Almost as if he was struggling to decide on the answer. Just like that, regret began to form in her heart, and she opened her mouth to take back her request.

"Alright."

Yasmin's eyes widened as her mouth remained ajar, Ren sitting back down as he gazed up into the starry sky.

Recomposing herself, Yasmin sat beside him, staring intently at his face. It was as if the mere act of blinking would make Ren vanish in an instant. Although he had done that before in the past.

"When I was… younger…" Ren started, trailing off already, but quickly shook his head and resumed, "I always had this habit of looking at people, listening to what they said."

His eyes seemed to gaze so much farther beyond the skies, beyond even the heavens. Yasmin suddenly felt like she was seeing someone else for a moment.

 _There were times that I run across some folk that tries to speak about their views of the world. Some are the kinds you hear everyday, but there are others that are fewer, those that always try to preach about a particular subject: equality._

 _They always speak about how in the eyes of the gods, we are all equal. How every single life on the planet are truly equal, and that we should not see one another in contempt for the differences, but that we are all the same._

 _But the thing that always bothered me were these questions that always popped inside my head._

 _If we were equals, why were some born strong, while others frail?_

 _Why are some born with talent, and others struggle?_

 _Why do we look different from one another?_

 _Why do we not share the same thoughts?_

 _Why are we so different if we are equal?_

 _It took me a few years to realize the answer to that…_

 _Equality is but an illusion._

 _We may be the same species, have the same limbs, organs, and can also think for ourselves. There can be a multitude of similarities between us._

 _But we are not the same._

 _I grew up with several friends, two particular friends were actually twins. They lived the same, they look the same, and they sound the same._

 _But they weren't the same._

 _One grew up hating the world, while the other grew to love it._

 _Why would two that have so much in common, who had to have lived the same life together, end up being so different?_

 _And that's when I realized that it's because they saw the world differently._

 _Through our eyes, we create our own world, and our own views on equality are shaped there. That is how we begin to define what is equality, who is equal, and who are not. We accept those that respond to our views, and reject any and all that do not fit there. Where one saw the good in the world, the other saw only the cruelties…_

 _That is the truth of the world… we aren't born as equals… but rather as individuals._

"So in the end… it's up to each individual to find their worth in the worth, and not to fret over how they are equal. Everyone has their uses, so it's up to them to find it," Ren finished.

The words seemed to resound through Yasmin, like force of energy that seemed to pass right through her with each word. The thing that truly got to her, was how Ren's eyes actually were reflecting the moon cascading in the sky, and for a moment, it looked as if Ren had been shedding tears the entire time.

Why did it hurt so much to see him like this? Why did she feel her own eyes welling up from hearing this?

Yasmin remained still as Ren slowly got up, holding his hand to her. "That should be enough… let's go Yasmin…" Ren said gently, while Yasmin could only nod slowly, lifting her hand to reach his.

* * *

"Wh-what the 'ell are ye…?" the bandit asked. The freezing chill of terror seeped through his skin his blood freezing cold in veins. His eyes widened as he stared at the man that should have died the moment that he had slammed his axe down on the merchant's head.

Instead, the boy began to get up, letting out only a mild groan while holding his head. The blood that had splattered all around began to recede off of the sand, and even from the merchant's hands as well. The bandit even noticed the blood that got on his axe started to fade away as well.

"I told you… I said that this was going to hurt… and it did… No, it still does," the merchant groaned out, letting his hands down, and the bandit wanted to hurl right then and there. His face was still cut, his skull was cracked, and a lot of blood was coming out. It was such a grotesque sight for the average, but what made the bandit want throw up was how the fatal wound beginning to close up, and he could literally see the muscle and tissue beginning to patch itself over, the blood soon completely free from the merchant's face, free of any sign of injury, like it had never happened. "So painful…"

The worst part was hearing the sound of pure boredom in his voice as he said that, and was even starting to pull the spear that had impaled him from behind, the hissing sounds he made as he slid the weapon out of his side, and just like before, despite all the blood that splattered out when the wound was exposed to the air, the blood slowly vanished in a receding manner, and the injury closed up, the only sign left behind was the small hole on his shirt.

"H-How? Ye can't be alive still…?" He was seeing it, yet he couldn't believe it.

The other bandits began to murmur to one another, the fear beginning to creep on them as well.

"Well, I am, so nothing we can do about that right now. So how about we just forget about this incident and just go our separate wa-"

Swinging his axe, he slit the merchant's throat in one swift motion, blood spilling out of his neck as the merchant stumbled back, choking on the blood that clogging his breath, but suddenly stopped. The bandit watched to his horror the neck beginning to mend itself just like the other injuries.

"F-fire! Mages! Burn 'im alive!" the terror could not be held back by the leader's voice. He no longer cared about the merchandise. Not when faced by the monster before him.

Several mages that worked alongside the bandits raised their hands to the air, orbs of flames beginning to form before launching themselves all towards the seemingly immortal merchant, each fireball exploding upon contact, illuminating the night sky by the immense light from the flames.

That should do it, the boy should be-

"Enough."

The moment that the leader heard that, the flames suddenly began to spiral, revealing the merchant. He moved his arms in circles, the motion flowing with the flames, almost like they were extensions of his own body. The boy suddenly began to slow his arms and began to close them onto one another. As if responding to his gestures, the flames slowly began to converge towards him, gathering between his hands, before suddenly closing the palms together, killing the light till a small ember was left.

"Are we done here?" the boy asked, his tone now replacing the lighthearted sound with a cold, more ominous one.

"Monster…" the bandit voiced out as he took a step back. "MONSTER!"

* * *

As the bandit let out the shriek of terror and began to flee, the rest of the bandits began to mirror his actions, many shouts of the word 'monster' being heard still. Ren was sure that if anyone could see his face now, there would just be the look of utter dejection on it.

"Monster, huh…? Not that inaccurate really…" Ren muttered. Tracing his hand over his shirt, his clicked his tongue in annoyance at the holes his fingers ran through. "Dammit… this was my favorite shirt too…"

* * *

 **And that's it. Here's to another chapter that finished.**

 **I think I'm done telling you guys that I'll try to update faster. It's pointless. So I'll post when I post. I'll do my best to give you guys the chapter that can give you the entertainment that you want.**

 **So a lot of mysteries pointed up here, mainly Ren here, our rather unequal immortal pal here.**

 **Ren's views on equality is actually not that inaccurate to be honest. No one sees the world the same, and some people, we don't see them to be our equal. Some we view to be even better than us. Ren nor I are talking about equal rights or anything, so don't think I'm being a racist here, or at least I hope no one is thinking that. It's just that we see the world so differently that even our perspective on equality becomes changed without us even knowing it.**

 **We'll definitely learn more about Ren later on. And Yasmin is also starting to really show signs of the fact that Robin possesses the Heart of Grima.**

 **Anyways, please leave a review telling me what you thought about this chapter. It always motivates me to work harder in my fics. Won't even take you long really. Thank you.**


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